Catcher and drag-out for rolling-mills



(No Model.) 7 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. B. CHESS.

GATOHER AND DRAG-OUT FOB ROLLING MILLS. No. 319,785. Patented June 9, 1885.

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H. B. CHESS.

OATGHER AND DRAG-OUT FOR ROLLING MILLS,

No. 819,785. Patented June 9, 1885.

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UATUHER A ND DRAG-OUT FOR ROLLING MILLS. I v No. 319,785. Patented June 9, 1885.

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ATENT Prion.

HARVEY B. CHESS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CATCHE R AND DRAG-OUT FOR ROLLING-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,785, dated June 9, 1885.

Application filed May 6, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY B. CHEss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Catchers and Drag-Outs for Rolling-Mills, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a train of rolls with my improved catcher and drag-out in sectional elevation. Fig. 2 represents the rear section of the track and rails. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a portion of the track with the carriage and operative mechanism. Fig.4 shows the details of the main wheel of the carriage when ready to catch the plates. Fig. 5 shows the position of the parts after the rolled plate has been seized. Fig. 6 shows the same when the plate has been released from the catcher. Fig. 7 is a transverse section showing the front of the carriage in elevation. Fig. 8 shows the front portion of the carriage, partially in section. Fig. 9 gives a horizontal view of the catching device.

My present invention relates to an automatic device for receiving the rolled plates from a rolling-mill, drawing them out in approx-' imately straight lines and depositing them in piles; and it consists in the several combinations of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried endthat is, the Whole shaft moves in a parit out.

To accomplish my purpose I do not depend on the table-rollers, but on an automatic catcher and drag-out. This catcher will receive the rolled plate at its final pass from between the rolls of the mills, take hold of it, start off, and give a yielding draft until a point is reached which leaves the last end clear of the table, when the plate is dropped automatically on the pile, after which the catcher stops its onward movement, returns to its first position, with the gripping device automatically set in readiness for the next plate.

In the drawings, A represents a doublerailed track erected opposite to and extending outward from the finishing-rolls any desired distance. The' inner end of this track is supported on brackets securely fastened to the roll-housing, and is vertically adjusted thereon, while the residue of the track is suspended by the arched hangers B. (See Fig. 7.) The line of this track may be horizontal, or it may be considerably elevated at its outer or delivery end for the higher piling up of the finished plates.

Within the rails A extends an endless wire or other suitable cable, a, so guided by the pulleys A and B at the housing end of the track and by pulleys A and B at the opposite end of the track that the distance between the two lengths of the cable shall be a fixed one. The lower half of this cable is drawn in an outward and the upper portion necessarily in an inward direction when the cableis moving. The pulleys A and B have their supports in a movable frame, 0, which is free to slide on the rails of the track A.

Through the link 0, the adjustable crankshaft O, and adjustable weight D, any desired tension may be given the tension of the cable through the pulleys A B; but as the varying temperature of the cable would give constantly-varying lengths, provision is made to meet this difficulty. The main pulley A is mounted on shaft D, (see Fig. 3,) whose driven end is carried on a support, also adjustable. The crank-shaft C is also extended out to this point, and by an arm and link, D, communicates to the driving-end of shaft D the same amount of movement it does to the opposite allel line. The quarter-turn belt E, during the movement of the shaft D, through the varying lengths of the cable, simply slides along the driving-pulley E. (See Fig. 2.)

On the rails A, I place a four-wheel carriage, F, (Figs. 1 and 3,) with flanged wheels to fit the track, and I add a pair of safety-wheels beneath to keep the carriage down to the track when at work. The frame of this carriage I make as light as is consistent with safety; and while the forward axle, F, performs simply the functions of an axle, the other axle, F, performs that of a rock-shaft with a toe or cam G placed near its middle. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)

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Surrounding the axle F, but not attached to it in any way, is the hoop-like sheave G, whose.

exterior is provided with a packed groove, fitted in size to the traveling cable a. The interior surface of this sheave is bored out and provided with flanges extending centerward for the retention of the brake blocks or shoes G,which are preferably made of wood. These blocks are rounded on one side to fit the bore of the hoop, and on the other or flat side are shod with metal plates to receive the thrusts of the above-mentioned cam G. Each shoe is held longitudinally by the links H, Fig. 1, from the forward axle F, and is free to move up and down within prescribed limits. The idlerwheels H H are adjustably sustained in the cheeks I and Iof the carriageframe;

It is now evident that if the axle F be partially rotated and the cam G brought into contact with the lower shoe, the traveling cable a will be gripped between the sheave-hoop G and the idler-sheave H, (see Fig. 5,) and the carriage will receive motion in an outward disired.

rection as soon as the friction shall overcome the slip of the brake-blocks. If the axle F had been partially rotated the opposite way, the upper shoe would have been tightened and the grip would have been on the upper part of the cable. Thus I arrange to give the carriage F a movement in either direction de- It is evident that when the cam G is midway between its two extreme positions the shoes are loose, and that the hoop-sheave, if it should revolve at all, could produce no movement of the carriage.

Depending from the carriage proper are light braces J, forming a frame-work, (see Figs. 1 and 7,) the lower end of which terminates in a transom plate, J, on which is a flat shoe, J, whose forward part, j,toward the rolls,is flared downward for the easy reception of the finished plate, while the rear of the shoe is slotted in gridiron manner, as shown in Fig. 9. These slots are cut out to the end, crossing transversely from-side to side. At the lower part of this frame, and close to the rolled-plate way, is a light frame K, playing freely upon the spindle K, and provided with a series of fingers k, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5, and 9, attached to K and having motion with it, which fall into the slots in the shoe. Ashort upright arm, L, extends toward the rod L, and forms a drop 1 latching or trigger device, for a purpose hereplate, L, Fig. 1, attempts a passage through inafter explained.

It is now evident that if a rolled and finished and underneath the fingers 7c, the latter will I be lifted up slightly, but sufficiently far to planes.

ready for receiving the next plate.

tion.

upright position and in equilibrium, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The dropping of the rod L, as before described, will cause theweight M to fall forward, partially revolving the camaxle F and forcing the cam G down on the lower shoe, which causes the lower cable to be gripped and the carriage to move outward.

On the outer end of the cam-axle F are two tappets, 1 and 2, in different vertical When the lower shoe is in position shown in Fig. 5, the longer of these tappets, 2, is thrown in such positionthat when the run of the carriage is reached the point or toe of the tappet willcome in contact with the stop N, which can be adjusted to any desired length of run, and the carriage, continuing the run, aided by its momentum, causes the cam-axle to be partially revolved, the weight M to be again lifted to its upright position, and, going beyond that, the weight topples over into the position shown in Fig. 6. This causes a gripping of the upper or returning cable and a return of the carriage to its first position, On its return to this position it will be noticed that the fingers have been automatically set for feeling the entrance of the next plate, the arm L being in position to receive the end of the rod L on its extremity. As the carriage is returning it will be seen that the toe of the tappet 1 is in position to strike the shoe N and slide on it to the rear end of the run, thus causing such a movement of. the tappet 1 as to again partially rotate the cam-axle F and liberate the upper shoe, when the carriage must come to a state of rest. The weight M is now sustained in an upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, by the rod L resting on the top of the short arm L.

This completes the description of my automatic starting, hauling, stopping, and return to the first position of the carriage, with the feeling and starting device set to receive the next plate.

The operation of gripping would naturally have come first, but for the sake of perfect clearness in the operation of my invention the description of the gripping mechanism has been deferred.

The spindle K, which crosses between the lower ends of the braces J, not only sustains the feeling device, as before described, but on an eccentric, It, made on the spindle, it also sustains a series of dogs, N. (See Figs. 5 and 6.) These dogs are free to swing outward, and will oppose no resistance to the finished plate L passing in an outward or delivering direc- The eccentric on the spindle K is so placed and the length of the dogs is so adj ustcd to the cross-piece J and flat shoe J (the shoe being made adjustable upward, as shown in Fig. 1, to compensate for wear) that whenthe rolled plate has passed outward andhas aflected the feeling-fingers k, and thus started the carriage, and when the carriage has been given ICC . and rod 0.

a speed greater than that of the plate-delivery the dogs will seize the plate and carry its end along. After the plate has been delivered free from the rolls the plate will be dragged to its proper position and will be automatically deposited on the pile. Itis proposed to have the cable to travel at a higher speed than any possible surface speed of the rolls, and since the speed is obtained from the trains prime mover through shaft E the relation of speed must remain the same.

On the spindle K is an arm, 0, rigidly attached thereto, and coupled by rod 0' to the weighted lever 0 up near the body of the carriage, as shown in Fig. 1. This lever carries a roller, P, which is ordinarily held in contact with the under side of the rail A by means of the weight 3; but as the carriage runs out to its delivery end and has reached a point where it is desired to drop the plate the roller P encounters the shoe P, (see Fig. 5,) which forces the roller down and draws upthe weighted lever This partially revolves the eccentric spindle K and lifts the dogs N, thereby liberating the plate. After this action of re leasing the plate, the carriage,proceeding farther along, encounters the stop N by means of thetappet1,and this in turn causes a stoppage of the outward movement of the carriage, as hereinbefore described. Returning to the first position,the roller P, when off the shoe P, resumes its normal condition, and the eccentric is automatically set so that the dogs will again take hold of the plate on the movement of the carriage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The rails A and endless cable a, in combination with the carriage F, provided with the depending braces J, and suitable mechanism for gripping the plate andoperating the carriage, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The rails A, endless cable a, carriage F, and depending braces J, in combination with the plate J, shoe J, frame K, provided with the fingers k, and spindle K, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The carriage F, provided with the axles F, carrying the cam G, in combination with the shoes G, sheave-hoop G, and idler-pulleys H H, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The spindle K, provided with the short arm L, the plate J, and the shoe J, in combination with the rod L, arm M, and axle F, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The plate J, shoe J, and spindle K, provided with the arm 0 and rod 0, in combination with the weighted lever 0, provided with a roller, P, and the shoe P, allconstructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The axle F, provided with the tappets 1 and 2, the arm M, weight M, and stops N N, in combination with the cam G, shoes G, sheave-hoop G, railsA, and cable a, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The rails A, endless cable a, and pulleys A B, in combination with the pulleys A B, movable frame 0, link 0, shaft 0, and adjustable weight D, all constructed to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HARVEY B. CHESS.

Witnesses:

W. N EASTON, T. J. RODGERS. 

